Chenopodium foliosum

Leafy goosefoot

Family: Chenopodiaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Leafy goosefoot is a naturalized annual found in central Sierra Nevada, Modoc Plateau, and western Mojave Desert regions in open, gravelly or sandy disturbed ground at elevations below 1,800 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces small greenish flowers in spherical clusters 3 to 8 millimeters wide arranged in terminal and axillary spikes. Growing 5 to 60 centimeters tall with upright stems, it has a distinctive branching habit with leafy bracts throughout its spikes. Its leaves are uniquely shaped with lanceolate to triangular blades 7 to 75 millimeters long, featuring deeply and irregularly toothed edges and occasionally two-lobed or hastate bases. The mature fruit develops dark red or brown seeds with ridged margins, enclosed at the base by reddish sepals.

Habitat: Open, gravelly or sandy soils, disturbed ground

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: < 1800 m

Bioregions: CaRH, c SNH, MP, w DMoj

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.